Chat has, well… entered the chat, ya’ll. That is to say, AI is firmly on the scene—and what the book writing world can’t seem to agree on is whether that’s a gift or a curse. Many people have pretty big feels about it.
Some are angry—they feel AI will mostly replace human-created writing and book professional careers.
Some are scared—what does it mean if we have to fight off a band of Energizer content bunnies to have our voices heard in the market?
Some are ostriching—they’ve hidden their heads in the nearest pile of sand to save their sanity, hoping AI will be gone by the time they look up again.
Some are tingling with capitalistic excitement—they’ve found ways to use AI that make writing more efficient. They’re able to produce more and faster.
And I have to admit, if you’re not quite feeling the excitement, the current landscape does look rather bleak. Here’s some numbers that could increase your blood pressure a bit:
📙 AI can generate text up to four times faster than humans. With speeds like this, “writing” for AI is not a craft. Just another task to perform.
📙 Up to 80% of digital creators are using AI at some point in their workflow.
📙 It’s estimated that up to 57% of online text and web-based content is AI generated or translated.
📙 As many as 50% of published articles are now either fully AI generated or heavily AI assisted.
Sadly, finding an original thought these days is starting to resemble a search for that pesky needle in a haystack.
And as it specifically relates to writing a book, with very little oversight, AI tools are easily used for nefarious purposes. People are snatching up the nearest template for a “guaranteed bestseller,” pumping out a collection of words with their AI buddy, throwing it up on Amazon, probably not clicking the button that self-identifies the document as AI-produced (because who’s really stopping them?), and calling it a published book and themselves a published author—all within a caffeine-fueled weekend.
With an already saturated market and self-publishing still outgrowing the initial skepticism from when it first entered the scene decades ago, AI is not helping this feel like a friendly place.
The cherry on top is that AI is only getting more powerful. Experts say it’s learning faster than ever and even learning how to do things on its own that it was never programmed to do. (It’s giving Terminator. I’m not a fan of this.)
Validating concerns further are more numbers, this time about books—and these are pretty heartbreaking. Reporting stats from this year’s first quarter sales, Publishers Weekly says adult nonfiction in 2026 is already seeing an 8.8% decline from 2025, with the self-help subcategory seeing the biggest drop: down 26.3%. Following the PW report, Tim Ferriss pulled back the curtain and reported that his catalogue of nonfiction (five mega bestsellers) has seen an 80% drop in sales since 2022, the year we saw a massive increase in use of LLMs (“large language models” like ChatGPT and Claude—when you hear people say “AI,” this is generally what they mean).
Coincidence? Probably not.
We can surmise from the correlated numbers and timing that people seeking information on how to do something are starting to use their new AI buddies instead of books. Want to learn how to start a business or communicate better with your partner or improve your sleep? Want to learn about your love languages or how to break some bad habits or lose fat quickly? Asking Chat or Claude would take you a few minutes compared to the cumulative hours of finding the right book, ordering that book, and then reading that entire book. Why take the long way when a free shortcut is available at your fingertips?
I have to admit that I started out pissed off about what AI was doing to the book industry. AI entered the scene sounding like the death of all books everywhere, and I galloped onto the “humans against AI” bandwagon pretty damn quickly.
But as someone who has done a good amount of shadow work, I know that what you resist persists. So I decided to let my anger (and fear) lead me on an exploration. I leaned in and stayed curious. I played around with ChatGPT (mine is kinda stupid, but I do see the appeal)and Claude, researched what the experts were saying, watched a recent documentary that was extremely enlightening (highly recommend), and have allowed myself to entertain the validity of all the sides.
I didn’t emerge from my adventure feeling tons better, but I will say that my anger has now faded into more of a banal acceptance, and during the past few weeks in particular, something strange has happened.
I’ve found myself coming around to actually feeling grateful for AI.
In fact… [*tiptoes to the mic*] AI might just turn out to be the best thing to ever happen to book writing. Yes, even if you never use it.
Before you cancel me, let me explain.
I admit, the black-and-white of the situation can’t be denied. The numbers prove what we’re all feeling in the ether—and what we’re seeing on the ground is no better: a trifecta of undesirables.
1. We’re losing TRUST.
Every piece of writing is now scrutinized, and signs of AI-produced writing are being called out. Loudly. Even the appearance of one tiny em dash and we’re hollering “AI slop!” at the top of our lungs. And because we’re tired of reading AI slop, we are getting more selective and choosy—aka SUSPICIOUS. Who’s really to be trusted these days?
2. We’re OVERWHELMED.
Because AI can pump out piles of prose in the click of a mouse, we’re not really going deep with the barrage of writing in front of us—we simply can’t. We’re overwhelmed with stuff to read, and with AI, the already-saturated information market is only getting more crowded.
3. We’re DISCOURAGED.
The possibilities that AI brings with it leave many aspiring book writers and book professionals feeling like there’s really no point in writing new books anymore. They see the signs; AI is moving in on their turf. It’s not crazy for people to think AI will replace them as creators and change the publishing landscape for the worse.
As bad as all that sounds, though, I think what’s really happening is that AI has created a GAP, a space that exists between two opposing camps: those of the AI cheerleaders and the AI haters.
The cheerleaders feel AI is the greatest thing since the first caveman stumbled upon fire. It’s going to change—nay, “revolutionize”!—the publishing world! It can research complex topics at the speed of light, cutting days if not weeks, months, or even years from the book writing process and allowing ROI to start rolling in faster. It can save you thousands in editing and design costs. Just have Chat do it!!
The haters feel AI is the antithesis to anything good. What they see is the potential for AI replacing just about every single role a human plays in the act of writing, producing, and publishing a book. If that’s true, AI is the enemy and we should suit up for battle and prepare to die on this hill.
And while I see validity in both ends of this spectrum, it’s just that: a spectrum. On one end are hard core DIYers, the ones fully embracing the SELF in self-publishing and hoping to increase ROI as a result. On the other end, the traditionalists are grasping tightly onto “this is how we’ve always done it,” never allowing a machine near their book, efficiency be damned. They see staying rooted in how books have traditionally been created as the only honorable—and legitimate—path.
Drastically opposing perspectives, both valid.
But when a spectrum exists with two very opposing forces pulling away from each other, it creates a gap—and that gap, my friends, is where real creators will start existing. And thriving.
Three important things will happen in that gap:
1. LOYALTY will increase.
Because AI is asking people to be more selective in the voices they listen to, we’re actually able to foster an increased sense of TRUST through our writing. When we find a REAL voice, we will stay close. For writers, this means we can do the good work of creating connections with LOYAL fans who are drawn to our authenticity, not how well we perform for attention.
2. AUTHENTICITY will become the new (irreplaceable) currency.
AI is essentially drawing a clear line in the sand for us to utilize: REAL versus FAKE. The realer you are, the further you’ll go. If you are real—if you write from the heart, if you pour your essence into your words, if you care about what really matters—it will be felt. AI cannot replace HEART. It cannot replace REAL. This is ONLY what can live in the gap.
3. QUALITY and CREATIVITY will be increasingly recognized and rewarded.
The overwhelming amount of AI-created content requires book writers to dig in and do their best work—increasing QUALITY output. Further, because AI cannot think critically (it can only tell you what’s been done before), creatives have an edge. Approaching your book from a creative lens—asking how you can deliver your message in a unique and authentic package—will ensure your book serves your readers well. In the end, we will need to write better books in order to stand out.
So what do we do? How do we write books from the gap? Because I’m a fan of symmetry, here are three focal points to take with you into your book writing today:
1. Ensure your book offers a TRANSFORMATION, not simply information.
We have to stop writing about stuff that can easily be found online. Information is so readily available, and the market data is telling us that people are buying fewer how-to books than ever. When you write about what transforms, what changes lives, what’s real (your story, your unique experiences, your worldview), you offer precisely what people are searching for within a sea of bland and average.
2. Use what cannot be replicated (by AI or any human, for that matter): YOUR ENERGY.
Stop caring about what you *should* do in your book. Stop caring about receiving validation from the professionals, the industry, or even the market. Give your attention to fully capturing what cannot be replicated: YOUR ENERGY. This means you speak from your heart, you share vulnerably, you use your own words and unique voice to deliver value that you earned by living a truly ink-worthy life. None of that can be replicated, and all of it is more valuable than a mountain of AI-produced books.
3. Focus on HIGH QUALITY.
I know, I know. This is going to sound like a pitch to hire the best coaches and editors you can find—and it pretty much is. Seriously though: put yourself in direct connection with real humans doing real work. Find writing communities or professionals whose voice and energy you resonate with (do your best not to weigh accolades heavier than energy—anyone can get a degree, not everyone can write authentically from the gap). And then dig in. Focus on producing high quality writing, which might mean you have to invest in learning some things! Dive deep, give from your core, and don’t half-ass the important work of HUMAN creation!
Remember, friend, AI is giving us a gift—and if we choose to see it that way and accept it with gratitude, it’ll take us far. But you have to decide:
📙 You can be pissed and disappointed and resistant, OR
📙 You can embrace it, learn how to write a stand-out book, write something that cuts through the noise, and go forth with what matters most that AI can’t provide: CONNECTION, RESONANCE, and TRANSFORMATION.
The latter option requires us to be louder, bolder, more forthcoming with our energy. We can no longer play small. We can no longer ride the coattails of what worked before. Those days are behind us now, and we need to embrace the only thing capable of cutting through the noise: our AUTHENTIC ESSENCE.
Stand in the gap, and stand proud. I’ll be right there with you.
Creatively yours,
